Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Nov. 2: The World Bank-funded subsistence package still eludes most of the traditional marine fishermen from these parts of Orissa, as the state government has clamped a seven-month-long ban on sea fishing activities along the 20-km stretch of Dhamra-Barunei mouth within the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.

The prohibitory orders, effective from November 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012 come in the wake of the commencement of mass nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles.

The objective of the ban on fishing is to reduce net-entanglement-induced mortality of breeding turtles. But, the ban would also leave thousands of families from the sea fishing community jobless for seven months.

As the fishermen were left dispossessed of income sources following the prohibition, the Orissa government implemented the World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP) this year to provide an alternate livelihood for the fishermen during the lean period.

But the relief remains elusive for sizeable sections of fishermen who lost out their occupation for seven months following the fishing ban.

Both Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts account for 26,861 marine fishermen, of which a little over 3,000 families have been covered under the compensatory income scheme. The rest of the fishermen have nothing to do to support their families during this mass nesting period of turtles.

“To make up the loss of livelihood sources, the World Bank-funded ICZMP scheme has taken up alternative livelihood stake projects for the affected traditional marine fishermen. We have planned to cover all the fishermen families under the alternate livelihood scheme to compensate for their monetary loss because of the fishing ban,” said assistant director of fisheries (marine) Rabi Narayan Patnaik.

About 3,600 families have received the alternate livelihood support through 300 self-help groups. An estimated Rs 24 crore is being spent to compensate the loss of the fishermen’s income. The ICZMP scheme is being implemented in a phased manner. Families, which have not received benefits this year, would be covered under the ICZMP in the next year, added Patnaik.

The fishing ban has been clamped in accordance with sections 2, 4 and 7 of the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (Omfra), 1982, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

About one hundred trawls and vessels were seized and their crews were arrested during the ban clamped last year as vessels defied the Omfra provisions and indulged in fishing along the prohibited zones.

“To ensure safety of the Olive Ridley turtles, the prohibitory orders are being strictly enforced. Trawl operators have been cautioned not to venture into prohibited water zone. Any act of trespassing will invite punitive measures,” said divisional forest officer of Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division Manoj Kumar Mohapatra.